THE FINANCIER
She didn't think of him as anything save a remarkably
talented young man, able, forceful, direct, incisive, and
yet gentle—to her. He took his hat, held her hand,
looked into her eyes, and went away. After he had gone
she paused a moment, coming out of something that
seemed like a warm, cheering vapor. He enveloped her
completely with the charm of his personality She could
not have said why; but he did.
It was while he was calling on her in this way in her
widowhood that his Uncle Seneca died in Cuba and left
him fifteen thousand dollars outright. Davis had originally
intended to leave him more; but Mrs. Davis's two chil-
dren by him came in for later consideration, and he had to
revise his will. This money, at this age, made Frank
worth nearly twenty-five thousand dollars in his own
right, and he knew exactly what to do with it. A panic
had come since Mr. Semple had died, which had illus-
trated to him very clearly what an uncertain thing the
brokerage business was. It was really a severe business
depression. Money was so scarce that it could fairly
be said not to exist at all. Capital, frightened by uncer-
tain trade and money conditions everywhere, retired to
its hiding-places in banks, vaults, tea-kettles, and stock-
ings. The country seemed to be going to the dogs. War
with the South or secession was vaguely looming up in
the distance. The temper of the whole nation was
nervous. People dumped their holdings which they had
purchased in all sorts of enterprises on the market in
order to get money—of course, from those who had
money. They were purchased for a song; but these
purchases were not many. Tighe, forced by the situation,
discharged three of his clerks. He cut down his ex-
penses in every possible way, and used up all his private
savings to protect his private holdings. He had many
shares of stock in this, that, and the other sound organi-
zation; but he had hypothecated them all for loans,
and these, in many instances, were being called. He
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